Dawn Forman

Promoting collaborative dementia care via online interprofessional education

This study aimed to develop, implement and evaluate an online interprofessional education (IPE) dementia case study for health science students. The IPE initiative aimed to develop collaborative interprofessional capabilities and client‐centred mindsets that underpin high‐quality dementia care.

Evaluating an interprofessional disease state and medication management review model

Abstract There is lack of literature data reporting an incorporation of medication management reviews in students’ interprofessional education (IPE) and practice programs in aged care settings. This pilot study reports how an interprofessional disease state and medication management review program (DSMMR) was established in a residential aged care facility in Perth, Western Australia. Students from the professions of nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy focused on a wellness check in the areas of cognition, falls and continence while integrating a medication management review. Students’ attitudes were explored using a pre- and post-placement questionnaire. Students indicated positive experience with the IPE DSMMR program which also resulted in their positive attitudinal shift towards IPE and practice. These findings indicated that aged care can be a suitable setting for student interprofessional programs focusing on DSMMR.

The Context of Health Professional Education Today

There is no doubt that graduates entering the health professions in the second and third decades of the twenty-first century will face an environment that is different in a range of important ways from that which most of their teachers encountered at the same point in their own professional careers. It is vital that we, as health professional educators, help our students to develop the perspectives and skills that will enable them to thrive and develop further in this changed context.

Repositioning interprofessional education from the margins to the centre of Australian health professional education – what is required?

Objective This paper examines the implementation and implications of four development and research initiatives, collectively titled the Curriculum Renewal Studies program (CRS), occurring over a 6-year period ending in 2015 and focusing on interprofessional education (IPE) within Australian pre-registration health professional education. Methods The CRS was developed as an action-focused and participatory program of studies. This research and development program used a mixed-methods approach. Structured survey, interviews and extensive documentary analyses were supplemented by semi-structured interviews, focus groups, large group consultations and consensus building methods. Narrative accounts of participants experiences and an approach to the future development of Australian IPE were developed. Results Detailed accounts of existing Australian IPE curricula and educational activity were developed. These accounts were published and used in several settings to support curriculum and national workforce development. Reflective activities engaging with the findings facilitated the development of a national approach to the future development of Australian IPE - a national approach focused on coordinated and collective governance and development. Conclusion This paper outlines the design of an innovative approach to national IPE governance and development. It explores how ideas drawn from sociocultural theories were used to guide the choice of methods and to enrich data analysis. Finally, the paper reflects on the implications of CRS findings for health professional education, workforce development and the future of Australian IPE. What is known about the topic? IPE to enable the achievement of interprofessional and collaborative practice capabilities is widely accepted and promoted. However, many problems exist in embedding and sustaining IPE as a system-wide element of health professional education. How these implementation problems can be successfully addressed is a health service and education development priority. What does this paper add? The paper presents a summary of how Australian IPE was conceptualised, developed and delivered across 26 universities during the period of the four CRS studies. It points to strengths and limitations of existing IPE. An innovative approach to the future development of Australian IPE is presented. The importance of sociocultural factors in the development of practitioner identity and practice development is identified. What are the implications for practitioners? The findings of the CRS program present a challenging view of current Australian IPE activity and what will be required to meet industry and health workforce expectations related to the development of an Australian interprofessional- and collaborative-practice-capable workforce. Although the directions identified pose considerable challenges for the higher education and health sectors, they also provide a consensus-based approach to the future development of Australian IPE. As such they can be used as a blueprint for national development.

Establishing and Evaluating Interprofessional Student-Led Wellness Assessment Services Focused on the Elderly

Whilst the notion that health professionals should ‘learn to work together’ is not new (Carpenter & Dickinson 2014; Leathard, 1994; Szasz, 1969), the popularity of interprofessional education (IPE) has certainly grown noticeably over recent years. There is a trend towards an increased interest in IPE not only amongst tertiary education providers and researchers but also policymakers as well (Reeves et al., 2008). In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) (WHO, 2010) has been emphasising the need for policymakers around the world to engage in IPE and hence better prepare their health professionals for future challenges. A variety of reasons can be attributed towards this increased interest in IPE, including increasing complexity of health care, an ageing population and increased prevalence of chronic diseases requiring multidisciplinary approaches (Reeves et al., 2008). In this regard, interprofessional collaboration and communication in practice is crucial. Interprofessional practice should be patient-focused and is expected to provide more efficient and effective patient care, including more active patient involvement in decision-making processes regarding their health (King, Shaw, Orchard, & Miller, 2010; Orchard, Curran, & Kabene, 2005).